Twitter wakes up to the existence of terrible internet, introduces Twitter Lite for data-starved nations

Micro-blogging site Twitter has finally woken up from its state of deep slumber and decided to extend additional support to the nations that suffer from the problem of slow network connections. The company has launched a ‘lite’ version of its mobile service that would minimise data usage and work swiftly even on the slower connections.

Twitter Lite is primarily aimed at markets outside the United States, which include– Asia Pacific region, Latin America and Africa. The app essentially works through a web browser and takes less than 1MB space on your smartphone or tablet.

Here are the key features of Twitter Lite:

– Automatic updates: Twitter Lite automatically updates to the latest version and you don’t even need App Store or Google Play account to use it.
– Control your data: It comes with a data saver mode, which lets you preview images and videos before choosing which ones to fully load, thereby reducing the data usage by 70 percent.
– Simple to use: It works just like the Twitter app. You can add Twitter Lite to your home screen to access it anytime.
– Push Notifications: You get notified about the updates throughout the day just like the app.
– Offline access: You can keep reading the content even when you temporarily lose your connection.

The company has also partnered with Vodafone ahead of the IPL season to promote its app in India.

The updates come nearly two years after the social media giant Facebook launched Facebook Lite to cater to its users in nations with a slow data connection. Twitter’s lackadaisical response to the parity in network connections across the world has been catastrophic for its user base. While the micro-blogging website had 319 million average monthly active users at the end of last year, Facebook enjoyed average monthly active user base of 1.9 billion users at the end of 2016, states a Reuters report. The company also reported a loss of $167 million in the last quarter of 2016 as against $90 million in 2015.

Lack of innovation coupled with a restrictive format remain the biggest reasons for the company’s sluggish growth. Will Twitter Lite help the company to overcome its losses and gain a strong user base– is something only time will tell.